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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2005 >> Intense exercise as abortive
        
(Message started by: davecrich on May 7^th, 2005, 2:28pm)

Title: Intense exercise as abortive
Post by davecrich on May 7^th, 2005, 2:28pm

Medical info part of web site says under "Ameliorative Factors":

"Vigorous physical exertion at the earliest sign of an attack can, in some patients, be remarkably effective in ameliorating or even aborting an attack (Atkinson, 1977; Ekbom and Lindahl, 1970)."

I have personally found this to be the most reliable abortive, though the attack may come back an hour later depending on the cycle.

I am surprised so few others report this that it didn't even make the medication survey.

My doctor believes that this works because it diverts blood to flow to the muscles.

Title: Re: Intense exercise as abortive
Post by Mr. Happy on May 7^th, 2005, 3:20pm

If exercise works, it works great. If exercise doesn't work, it can trigger one hell of a HA. I'm part of the second group.

Quote:

My doctor believes that this works because it diverts blood to flow to the muscles.

See: Charlie/Dr. Wright's Circulatory Technique. (http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=meds;action=display;num=1108519568)
RJ

Title: Re: Intense exercise as abortive
Post by E-Double on May 7^th, 2005, 3:37pm

too pumped or too low for me...unfortunately i try to stay kinda flatlined...not dead [smiley=laugh.gif]

Thank god i havent turned into a slob [smiley=laugh.gif]

Title: Re: Intense exercise as abortive
Post by Marc on May 7^th, 2005, 3:42pm

Dave,

A big YES from me on this. I’ve posted this here several times over the last few years. IF I jump on it at the very first hint of an attack, I can kill 80-90% of them in 5 minutes.

I pedal my bike, some people run and one guy used to do squats before he got so damn old ;). I've discovered that I need to make my thighs burn to be effective. Simply getting my heart rate up doesn't do it - I need the burn.

Yes, they can come back again - so sometimes I'll take a Triptan that will kick in while I'm pedaling.

Marc

Title: Re: Intense exercise as abortive
Post by sandie99 on May 8^th, 2005, 6:38am

Hmmm... I'm doing lots of exercising these days. I eat right and take my verapamil. Perhaps all 3 together explain why my ch attacks have been milder lately and I've had lots of PF days - a luxury (especially to a chronic).

Title: Re: Intense exercise as abortive
Post by Bob_Johnson on May 8^th, 2005, 9:39am

This is yet another example of the wide individual variation we see with Cluster.

I suspect the benefit of exercise is increased oxygen intake--and many folks here like using oxygen as an abortive.

But we have both medical reports and the experience of folks here that elevated body temperature will trigger an attack.

So, we all end up making a series of experiments trying to find out what works for OUR body. Confusing to the newbie.

Title: Re: Intense exercise as abortive
Post by Marc on May 8^th, 2005, 11:15am

Bob,

Your comment about elevated reminded me that I should have added: "When it's cold outside". Exercise makes an attack worse if I get overheated.

I live in a fairly cool climate (don't even have A/C in my house) where I can always count on temperatures in the 50's at night when I tend to get hit the most.

Marc

Title: Re: Intense exercise as abortive
Post by Bob P on May 9^th, 2005, 9:44am

I'm the "old fart" who did squats. I think it was two clusters ago (about 6 years ago). I aborted somewhere around 70 attacks within 10 minutes by doing squats until my legs burned and I was puffing hard. I'd then sit with an ice pack on the back of my neck and concentrate on deep breathing.

Was it blood flow to my legs, high O2 from hyperventillating, endorphins released from the exercise? I think it was the breathing. There was a guy long ago who posted that he could abort attacks by hyperventillating.

BTW - it's not so much that I go too old to do squats as it is I got lazy. I found I could do the same thing by huffing O2 for 10 minutes.